Nina
- Pronunciation
- [Ni-na]
- Gender
- Female
- Meaning
- Strong
- Origin
- Native American
About the Name Nina
Nina has multiple proposed origins. The most credible Slavic line connects Nina to a short form of names ending in -nina (Antonina, Janina, Kalinina). A separate Spanish line connects Nina to the Spanish word for "little girl" or to a short form of names like Catalina or Carolina. A third Native American line connects Nina to various indigenous languages with similar phonetic forms (the Native American etymology in the database is one of multiple traditions).
The name has been used continuously across Russian, Italian, Spanish, and broader European naming traditions for centuries. Notable bearers include American singer Nina Simone (Eunice Kathleen Waymon, 1933–2003, the iconic African-American singer-pianist whose career through Mississippi Goddam, I Put a Spell on You, and Feeling Good made her one of the foundational figures of American jazz and soul); American actress Nina Dobrev (born 1989, the Bulgarian-Canadian actress of The Vampire Diaries); and Russian-American politician Nina Khrushcheva.
Nina's American climb has been steady: the name climbed into the US top 200 girls' rank by 1990 and held the top 200 for over two decades. The name has been driven primarily by Italian-American, Russian-American, and Spanish-American naming. The name's appeal is its compact international elegance — two short syllables, instantly readable across most European languages, and tonal warmth distinctive to multi-cultural names. The name reads as both classical-international and contemporary American with the strong Nina Simone cultural anchor. Common nicknames are scarce since the name is already short — Nin and the rare Ninny each occasionally appear; international forms include Nina (essentially identical across Russian/Italian/Spanish/Polish/German), and the broader Antonina/Janina/Catalina family.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Nina
US Popularity History (2000–2025)
Annual US births named Nina by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2000 with 1,428 girls named Nina (girl rank #219 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2025, ranked #324 for girls (946 US births). That's 105 places below its 2000 peak.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
Paste the snippet below on any HTML page. Includes a credit link back to 9BabyNames — please keep it intact.
Where in the US Is Nina Most Popular?
Average girl-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Nina the strongest states are District of Columbia, New York, Massachusetts.
Strongest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | #107 | 88 |
| 2 | New York | #157 | 965 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | #163 | 324 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | #176 | 19 |
| 5 | New Jersey | #186 | 397 |
| 6 | Connecticut | #198 | 149 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | #206 | 19 |
| 8 | Illinois | #252 | 410 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | #252 | 425 |
| 10 | Florida | #281 | 596 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Nina in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Variant Forms
| Name | Meaning | Gender | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nena | Chamoru Spanish Term Of Endearment; Darling; Dear | Female | Chamoru |
Famous People Named Nina
1 notable figure from history and culture who share the name Nina.
- Nina García is a fashion journalist who has served as the Fashion Director at ‘Elle’ and ‘Marie Claire’ magazines.
Looking for names like Nina?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Nina to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Nina against today's most popular girls-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).
Nina Baby Name Ideas
- Baby Names for Last Names With First-Syllable Stress: Building Rhythm After a Strong Opening Beat
- Baby Names for Multiword Last Names: Keeping the Full Name Clear Without Flattening the Surname
- When Relatives Pronounce the Family Surname Differently: Choosing a First Name That Works With Both
- The Last-Name-First Test: Choosing a Baby Name That Stays Clear on Rosters and Forms
- The Childhood Favorite Test: Should a Long-Loved Baby Name Still Win?
- When Both Parents Have Frequently Misspelled Names: How Simple Should the Baby’s Name Be?
- How to Choose a Baby Name When You Work With Children
- The Best Middle Names for Hannah: Pairings That Keep a Soft Ending Distinct
- Should You Avoid a Baby Name Because of One Person You Dislike?
- Baby Names for Four-Syllable Last Names: Keeping a Long Surname Easy to Say
- How to Test Whether a Baby Name Will Be Misheard in Daily Life
- Should Sibling Names Share an Initial? Building a Set That Stays Distinct in Daily Life
- Globally Portable Baby Names: Names That Travel Well Across Languages & Cultures
- Mesopotamian Mythology Baby Names: Gods of the Oldest Stories on Earth
- Short and Sweet Baby Names for Boys and Girls: Meaningful Names with Big Impact
- Bosnian Baby Names: A Blend of Tradition, History, and Culture
- 50 Cutest Names for Girls: Charming, Sweet, and Adorable Choices
- Fiery and Feisty Baby Names: Embracing Liveliness and Spirit
- Bolivian Baby Names, Bolivian Names for Boys and Girls
- Complete List of Pretty Girl Names That Mean Flower